Troy and Dmitri have worked everything out - well, almost everything. Except for the part where Troy's family doesn't know Dmitri exists. Coming out to his family sounds scarier than going to war. And Troy would know.

Troy's been out of the Army for almost a year, and except for a few short weeks, hasn't been back to West Virginia at all.

Now Christmas is coming, and his mother can't be put off any longer, not unless Troy wants to break her heart.

But Troy's biggest fear is that going home with a boyfriend and service dog in tow will break his Momma's heart just as much.

The day of his high school graduation after getting caught making out with a boy in his parent’s kitchen, Benny Quintaña left his best friend (and unrequited crush) Mikey behind when he stormed off in a righteous teenage rage and joined the Marines.

One dishonorable discharge and a few alcohol-soaked years later, things are looking up. He’s almost a year sober. He has a new job in a new town where no one knows his history of failure. He’s totally got this.

When the smoking hot masked man he hooks up with in the bathroom of a club turns out to be his ex-best friend Mikey, Benny's world explodes. When he meets Mikey's four-year-old daughter and realizes he loves her as much as he still loves Mikey, Benny realizes he’s screwed in more ways than one.

Bartender Troy Johnson is pretty sure he’s gay, but since he’s spent the eight years since high school in the Army, so his actual gay dating experience is, well, zero. But he's out of the army now, and far from West Virginia and his conservative family. If the hot Veterinarian he’s been undressing with his eyes wants to go on a date, Troy is more than willing to jump in.

Troy is everything Dmitri’s ever wanted in a guy: gorgeous, smart, and funny. He likes dogs, he has the sexiest trace of an accent, and his kisses set off fireworks in Dmitri’s entire body. Too bad Dmitri is getting the hell out of this small town as soon as he can.

But Troy has secrets he won’t tell, and the demons he’s running from are hot on his heels. When sparks fly on a hot Fourth of July weekend, both men find that the past is not easily left behind, and the future is never as clear as you hope.